Tell Me a Story
by Kristen3
Summary: One simple request from his daughter leads Niles to tell the best love story he can think of: his own. One-shot. Rating is for some innuendo.


**Author's Note:**Written with love and thanks to Melinda (carylfan10) who invented Leah, and has generously allowed me to "borrow" her from time to time in my own stories. This has been in my head for days, so I figured it was best to post it for others to read! I hope people like it!

Niles knew that moments like this would stay with him forever. He was grateful for that, because at some point, he knew his daughter would be too old for bedtime stories. No doubt she would have boys wanting to take her out in just a few years. Niles only hoped that one of those boys would love her the same way he'd always loved Daphne. With a kind of love that cherishes and protects, rather than seeks to harm a girl's reputation or pride.

But such thoughts could not interfere right now, because at the moment, Leah's brown eyes were looking up at Niles. It was clear she thought her father made the sun rise and set. And he loved her for it. "Tell me a story, Daddy."

Niles glanced over at Leah's bookshelf. She had a massive collection of picture books, many of them sent to her by her beloved Uncle Frasier. Leah was fascinated by butterflies. A majority of these books had colored insects on their covers. Niles faithfully read to her each night, and it was paying off. She had many of the books memorized, and was even beginning to recognize some of the words. Niles' heart swelled with pride at the fact that she was already advanced for her age, when she wouldn't even start kindergarten for another few months. Niles got up from his seat on his daughter's bed and started to walk to the bookshelf, intending to offer Leah a book for her inspection, as they'd done every night.

But to his surprise, Leah shook her head. "No, Daddy. I want a _real_ story!" Niles was confused at first. But then he remembered what she'd said earlier. Even at such a young age, she understood the subtle difference between reading a story and telling one. The thought made him smile as he sat back down on the bed..

Niles knew that his daughter loved fairytales nearly as much as she loved butterflies. _Cinderella _and _Beauty and the Beast_ were among her favorite films. In that respect, she followed her mother's example. If Leah wanted a fairytale, that's what she would get. Niles looked into his daughter's eyes, remembering how he'd fallen in love with those very same eyes so many years ago. This story would be easy to tell. Niles knew it by heart.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. Now, she wasn't wealthy like most other princesses, and she wasn't even considered beautiful by most people. But she spent all of her time taking care of sick and hurting people. That gave her a kind of inner beauty, which not everyone could see, but was no less important.

"In that same kingdom, there lived a sad, lonely prince. He was wealthy and well-respected by most people, but inside, he was terribly unhappy. He went about his day, doing his job, and just generally trying to survive from one day to the next. Until one day, this prince crossed paths with the beautiful princess. Can you guess what happened then?"

"I bet they fell in love!"

Niles smiled. If only it had been that easy. "Well, not quite. The prince was in awe of this extremely beautiful woman, for he could see into her heart, and he knew at once how much she cared about others. He wanted so much to tell her right then and there that he loved her. But he was under a kind of spell, and he couldn't approach her then. Still, he wanted to see her again. So he kept making excuses to come and visit her where she worked. And though the beautiful princess had no idea that this man was in love with her, they did get to know each other and become friends. The lonely prince's heart ached at the thought that she would only ever see him as a friend, not as someone she could love for real. But still, their friendship grew over time.

One night, there was a special kind of party, just for this beautiful princess. The lonely prince wasn't sure if he should go or not. She would be very busy with the other guests, and she probably wouldn't even notice that he was there. But he went anyway, and she did notice him. When they danced together, the prince noticed that she was very unhappy, even though she was surrounded by all of her family and the people who loved her. That made the prince sad. But he was no longer under the spell, and so he took her aside and told her what was in his heart. He knew if he did not speak up, he might lose her forever, and he couldn't live with that. But, to his complete amazement, she confessed that she loved him, too. They kissed, and then they knew."

Leah began to yawn. She was fighting to stay awake, but she was clearly losing the fight. "That's a nice story, Daddy. Did the lady and the prince get married?"

Niles was so caught up in his story that he hadn't even realized he was being watched. Daphne stood in the doorway. She stepped into the room, standing next to where her husband sat. Niles looked up at her as he answered his daughter's question. "Yes, they did. They even had children. One little boy, and one very special little girl." He leaned down to kiss her forehead as she slept.

Daphne bent down and took her turn kissing her daughter goodnight. Then she led her husband out of the room, without saying a word. When they reached the hallway, Daphne kissed him.

Niles sighed as the kiss ended. "Leah wanted me to tell her a story. She loves fairytales, so I had to tell her the best one I could think of. But I didn't even get to tell her the best part, about how the princess gets more and more beautiful each day." He caressed her cheek.

"Well, it sounds like the story isn't finished, then," Daphne said, continuing to lead him down the hall to their own bedroom. They walked past the door to David's room. He was probably in there, reading or practicing chess.

But neither was thinking about their son right now. They entered their master bedroom. Daphne eyed the bed, smiling at him knowingly. "Why don't we try to act out the next part of the story right here?"

Niles kissed her. "That sounds wonderful, my love. But I'm afraid that what I have in mind might take a while."

Daphne sighed contentedly. "That's all right. I'm not going anywhere."

Niles knew he hadn't told Leah the real story, complete with all the not-so-happy parts. She was too young to understand it all right now. But Niles hoped that one day he could tell her all of it, and she would know just how precious she was. And maybe she might even find a love like theirs and have her own happy ending.

**The End**


End file.
